Staff

All AgriTech Consulting employees and associates are strongly committed to providing specialized technical and management consulting services at the maximum levels of technical competence and professional expertise. Please contact the following management personnel for assistance.

Jerry Knudsen has over 40 years of experience with the administration of domestic and international engineering projects. Areas of expertise include: water and wastewater system design and permitting; solid waste management; agricultural waste management; planning, zoning, and land use permitting. He has completed environmental assessments and remediation as well as served as a regulatory liaison and provided litigation support. Jerry is currently registered as a Professional Engineer in the states of Colorado and North Dakota. He is also a certified Technical Service Provider for the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

EXPERTISE:
Administration of Domestic/International Engineering Projects
Water and Wastewater System Design and Permitting
Solid Waste Management
Agricultural Waste Management
Planning, Zoning, and Land Use Permitting
Environmental Assessments and Remediation
Regulatory Liaison and Litigation Support

Senior Environmental Engineer, Hydro-Triad, Ltd., 1990 to 1992
Managed environmental and civil engineering projects in the United States and Latin America. The company specialized in water resources engineering for subdivision developments and mining operations. Projects included acid mine water treatment plant design, surface water monitoring program development, construction and demolition landfill design, environmental property assessments and evaluation of commercial municipal waste composting opportunities.

Vice President/Permitting Manager, BioWaste Services, Inc., 1988 to 1990
Founder and permitting manager for medical waste incineration company. Permitted a medical waste incinerator in the City and County of Denver. Reviewed planning and zoning requirements throughout the western United States and prepared development applications in Omaha, Nebraska and Davenport, Iowa.

Field Office Manager, Raymond Vail and Associates, 1979 to 1980
Project Manager and Design Team Member for landfill gas investigations and remediation systems for commercial, industrial and residential properties.

Director, Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Program; Environmental Engineer, Division of Water Supply and Pollution Control, North Dakota State Department of Health, 1971 to 1979
Conducted pollution investigations, reviewed and approved water and waste water plans and developed and managed the state solid and hazardous waste management program. Reviewed and issued permits for rural, regional municipal waste landfills and industrial waste and coal ash disposal facilities. Developed state resource recovery and hazardous waste emergency response programs.

Engineering Aid, U.S. Public Health Service, Indian Health Service, 1968 and 1970 Summer Positions
Assisted in the design of residential water and wastewater systems for Indian Reservations in Minnesota. Managed Indian Health Service water and sewer line construction crew.

Verlin Hopkins brings nearly 55 years of career experience. For 27 years he served as a Technician and then District Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He is well versed in the survey, design, layout, construction inspection and certification of a wide variety of soil and water conservation practices. He has been involved in various facets of projects for dam realignment, concrete lining, development and improvement of irrigation storage, and emergency canal spillways.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:Boesch-Fisher Engineering, Inc., Consultant 2003 – 2007
Topographic surveying and map development for sub-surface irrigation systems, animal waste lagoon systems and various water control structures for irrigation canal systems. Researched and developed water loss study for two laterals served by the various irrigation system consultants, canal company, and the Arkansas Valley Revegetation. Revegetation review on the sellers’ lands to determine classification of each field using developed criteria. Submitted written report to companies and city officials of Pueblo, Colorado. Established Agri-Resource Management Planning Consulting and contracted with Arkansas Valley Area Marketing Coalition to develop study of bird watching business opportunities in the five county region.

Verlin Hopkins, Independent Consultant 1999 – Present
Retired after 41 years of service to the US Army and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); now involved with home maintenance and volunteer work in and for the community. Consultant to help implement programs based on the NRCS experience, knowledge and contacts.

Natural Resources Conservation Service• District Conservationist; Eastern Colorado 1981 to 1998
Served in Cheyenne Wells, CO., Byers, CO., and Springfield, CO. Duties included the administration of the USDA farm programs, a public information program, and associated record keeping. Brought the Springfield office into the computer age of farm planning and record keeping. Supervised from one to twelve employees, depending on the field office and workload of program demands.
Major programs administered include the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP) planning and contract development through final approval of conservation practice installation on private lands.

• Engineering Technician 1960 to 1980
Responsibility for the survey, design, layout, construction inspection and certification of a wide variety of soil and water conservation practices. Technical duties were performed in Rocky Ford, CO. Las Animas, CO. and Ft. Collins CO.

Special Projects: In the Bent County Field Office include three (3) canal realignment and concrete lining projects on the Fort Lyon Canal.Raise and strengthen the Fort Lyon Canal irrigation storage dams at Blue Lake and Timber lakeProvided survey and inspection for six (6) canal check structures on the Fort Lyon Canal.Highland Canal emergency spillway and concrete lining on a section threatened by the Purgatory River. Participated in the NRCS up-ward mobility program obtaining an Agronomy degree from Colorado State University in May 1980. Served as a soil conservationist in Cortez, CO. for one year and then accepted the leadership opportunities listed in the above paragraph until my retirement in December of 1998.

Verlin Hopkins, Independent Consultant 1957 – 1960
Various agricultural jobs and was self-employed on an irrigated farm in the Arkansas ValleyUnited States Army 1955 – 1957
Released from active duty in October of 1957 as a radar operator, specialist 3rd class

35 years of experience with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the USDA Soil Conservation Service) has made Ron Miller an expert in the systems management approach to land and resource management. He brings extensive knowledge on how to plan and apply conservation plans and practices to solve and correct resource issues involving crop management and production, soil erosion, grazing management with emphasis on maintaining surface and ground water quality. He has also worked with local and governmental agencies/groups on an area wide or watershed basis to plan for resolving resource issues. Ron’s strong knowledge of the five basic natural resources allows him to understand their relationships as well as their interaction in our environment.

CERTIFICATIONS:
• Certified Crop Advisor (CO 13803) since 1995 through the Certified Crop Advisor Program, a membership program of the American Society of Agronomy
• Technical Service Provider (TSP-03-1839) with NRCS

EXPERIENCE:
Natural Resource Conservation – I have had a multitude of experience working with the conservation of natural resources. I have been trained extensively in the systems management approach to land and resource management. I have worked on a one to one basis with landowners and land managers over the course of Thirty-five years with the Soil Conservation Service to plan and apply conservation plans and practices to solve and correct resource issues involving crop management and production, soil erosion, grazing management with emphasis on maintaining surface and ground water quality. I have worked with local and governmental agencies and groups on an area wide or watershed basis to plan for resolving resource issues. I have a strong knowledge of the basic five natural resources, Soil, Water, Animals, Plants and Air, their relationship and their interaction in our environment.

EXPERTISE:
Communication (both written and oral) – I have strong ability to communicate well both in written and oral format. I can communicate very well with persons on a one to one basis, being able to convey complex information and gain understanding. I have had extensive experience preparing and speaking in front of groups and organizations. I have participated in and prepared material for field training sessions, field day presentations, speaking at formal meetings such as at national conferences or conventions; such as the National Square Dance Convention, St. Louis, Missouri, 1993,or the national meeting of the Soil and Water Conservation Society 1996 Keystone, Colorado. I have testified before the Colorado State legislature and the Colorado State Planning Commission regarding the issues confronting Colorado and Weld County with the plowout of native grasslands and need for sound conservation planning and management on those acres to prevent resource degradation.

Management and Organizational Skills – I have been a supervisor of a large field office staff, an Area Agronomist and a Resource Team Leader. The skills involved analyzing work load, employee resources, and preparing annual work plans to address priority issues and to carry out and complete the work plan by scheduling and managing the personnel and financial resources. All required the skills of managing and handling personnel and being able to organize effective work schedules to accomplish tasks and activities. The positions also involved the ability to assess personnel qualifications and determine training needs and requirements to insure an adequate trained work force.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Boesch-Fisher Engineering, Inc. Vice President for Natural Resources 2001 -2007
• Assisted dairy and feedlot operators meet Colorado state law for animal feeding regulations by preparing facility and nutrient management plans.
• Completed land use inventory for the Republican River Watershed area in Colorado to assist Colorado Department of Water Resources and Attorney General in preparation for the lawsuit regarding the Republican River Compact. The three time period cross section land use inventory was used to assess land use change and trends while determining conservation practices influence on water delivery
• Event Coordinator for 14th Annual Winter Conference of Colorado Conservation Tillage Association

Area Agronomist; Northeast CO 1990 – 1998
• Responsible for the training and technical guidance for agronomic activities in Northeast Colorado NRCS Area. Trained field office staffs and area personnel in resource management and planning resource condition evaluation in accordance with the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide.
• Assisted in resource planning and review of conservation plans for technical adequacy to address soil erosion and prevent resource degradation.
• Technical expert for wind erosion assessment using the Wind Erosion Equation, water erosion using the Universal Soil Loss Equation and was a “train the trainer” for the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation.

District Conservationist; Greeley, CO 1976 – 1990
• Field office supervisor and direct contact working with the West Greeley Soil Conservation District in Weld County Colorado.
• Directed and provided the West Greeley SCD with resource conditions and information taken by field visit and county assessment techniques to guide them in their preparing long range plans for resource treatment and priority.
• Worked one on one with Farmers and Ranchers within the District to assess and plan conservation treatment and application of conservation practices. The district was comprised of 1.75 million acres of land and serviced over 2500 cooperators.

Soil Conservationist; NE Colorado 1965 – 1971
Extensive experience in working with producers and landowners to assess and plan conservation treatments and application of conservation practices.

United States Air Force 1967 – 1971
• Commissioned a 2nd Lt. March 16, 1967 through USAF Officer Training School
• Worked as Deputy Combat Crew Commander, and Site Maintenance Officer for the 381st Strategic Missile Wing and 53rd Missile Maintenance Squadron, McConnell AFB Wichita KS
• Promoted to Captain, March 1970

Rich brings almost 30 years of experience with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He has worked in numerous facets of Range Ecology to manage animals, soils and vegetation resources on grazing lands. During that time he has also worked as a Wetlands expert, increased usage of Irrigation Water Management, and promoted the use of alternative energy sources such as wind development. Most recently, Rich has turned his efforts to carbon sequestration and he continues this work at AgriTech with the education and planning for carbon sequestration.

Range Conservationist; Pueblo, CO 1982 – 1984
Major accomplishments were completion of rangeland plans on several ranches over 20,000 acres and working with
Arkansas River Valley producers on Irrigation Water Management Plans.

District Conservationist; Yuma, CO 1984 – 1988
Major accomplishments include increased use of Irrigation Water Management with sprinkler irrigation. This included
sprinkler and well evaluations and the installation of computer hardware/software for remote sprinkler control.

District Conservationist; Longmont, CO 1988 – 1992
Developed resource plan for City of Boulder Open Space and Boulder County Open Space properties.

Tribal Liaison; North Dakota 1992 – 1995
Served as the first Tribal Liaison between North Dakota USDA- NRCS two different tribes, Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe and
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.
Major accomplishments included the development of numerous Great Plains contract with both tribes. Also worked as
the Wetland Expert in the Prairie Pothole region of North Dakota and worked with numerous NRCS Field Offices and
landowners on wetland issues in the region.

District Conservationist; McHenry County, ND 1995 – 1997
Major accomplishments were the completion of over 300 CRP contracts in a month’s time and development of Highly
Erodable Land plans on sandy land producing potatoes.

Resource Conservation & Development Coordinator (RC & D); Minot, North Dakota 1997 – 2002
Worked with this USDA program that coordinates with volunteers on community scale natural resource issues. Major
accomplishments were two large scale water quality projects initiated and completed in north-central North Dakota.

RC & D Coordinator; Cambridge, NE 2002 – 2004
Major accomplishments were the development of the Republican River Riparian Project which included a focus in
three states. Assisted the RC&D Council to create a program to assist landowners/producers develop alternative
enterprises on their farm or ranch.

RC & D Coordinator; Sterling, CO 2004 – 2008
Major accomplishments included small wind development education, efforts on carbon sequestration and continuation
of work with the Republican River Riparian Project.

Mark has worked in soil and crop science services for nearly 30 years and specializes in Crop Production. Some of his varied experiences include field inspection, crop analysis, soil sampling, plant cross-breeding, and land conservation. As a Crop Hail Adjuster Mark has evaluated the damage incurred by natural disaster and served to determine needed reparation. Mark currently owns a 1,500 acre farm where he implements his knowledge of best practices to plant, care for, and harvest crops.

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Mark Nelson
Staff Scientist

EDUCATION:
Colorado State University- Bachelor of Science: Soil and Crop Sciences; Emphasis in Crop Production
Northeastern Junior College- Associate Degree in General Studies

For 23 years Michelle has worked in numerous soil and crop science disciplines. She started her career on a 6,000+ acre irrigated farm specializing in corn and dry beans. As a Biological Sciences Aide she monitored the veterinary care and feed management of cattle. She has spent nearly 15 years supervising farming and irrigation activities, manure management, data collection, public relations, and as a Crop Hail Adjuster. Most recently Michelle has worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service preparing key components of Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans for eligible producers. She is currently serving a 2-year term as Mayor of Haswell, CO.

Bob came to AgriTech Consulting after many years working at the Natural Resources Conservation Service. His experience allows him to work with various NRCS activities. He specializes in irrigation management and inspection of large scale projects.

With close to 40 years of experience in the industry, Bill Wittwer provides expertise in the areas of agricultural and urban engineering, as well as irrigation. Bill’s 33 years with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) combined with his time as a consultant through Boesch-Fisher Engineering, Inc. has provided vast knowledge. His agricultural work has included erosion control; water supply development; animal waste management systems, water table control, recreational development, stream channel stabilization, and wetlands delineation. Bill has also assisted with subsurface drainage, erosion control, flood water protection and development of recreation sites for urban areas. In the area of irrigation, Bill has designed irrigation diversion structures, large concrete lined ditch systems and irrigation storage reservoirs. Bill is certified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct Reg. IV Wetlands Delineation and has served as an expert witness in multiple water transmission cases.

CERTIFICATIONS:
Certified as an EIT in Colorado
Certified by the US Army Corps of Engineers to conduct Reg. IV Wetland Delineations

EXPERTISE:
Irrigation – Area Engineer for the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)/Soil Conservation Service (SCS) in Southern Colorado for 24 years. Was responsible for irrigation and drainage work on approximately one million acres of irrigated land. Directed the SCS/NRCS water quality and water management activities in the Area. This included the Arkansas Valley Water Management Project, the USDA-San Luis Valley Water Quality Demonstration Project, and the McElmo Unit of the Colorado River Salinity Project and the on farm development of irrigation for the USBOR-Dolores Project. Assisted in development of an irrigation guide for Colorado. Designed irrigation diversion structures, large concrete lined ditch systems and irrigation storage reservoirs.

EXPERT WITNESS:
Conejos County District Court, mid 1980’s, qualified expert on water transmission issues.
Costilla County District Court, October 2001, testified on water transmission issues.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:Boesch-Fisher Engineering, Inc. 1999-2007
Agricultural EngineerLandfill – Prepared the engineering plans for the closure of the landfill. Provided onsite construction inspection of the
closure. Prepared the “As Built” engineering plans for the final report.High Line Canal –Design surveys and calculations to modify a Parshall Flume to prevent submergence. Completed
the engineering plans and construction supervision for a reinforced concrete wasteway.Environmental Management Solutions – Completed on farm odor and environmental assessments in Colorado,
Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming.Center Pivot & Side-Roll Sprinklers and Subsurface Irrigation Systems – Pipeline designs, CPED evaluations of
Center Pivot designs, Side-roll sprinkler designs and consumptive use calculations for sprinkler and subsurface
irrigation system designs for systems in Southeastern Colorado.Gated pipe irrigation systems – 1 design completed and 1 in progress for gated pipe irrigation systems in Montezuma
County, Colorado.Animal Waste Containment Systems – Waste containment system designs completed for dairy farm and feedlot in
Delta County. Waste Management evaluation reports completed for multiple feedlots. Designs under development for
four dairies in Colorado. Designed and developed construction plans for a waste transfer pipeline system in Kansas.Miscellaneous Projects – Design surveys, design, calculations and engineering plans for a 24 inch PVC irrigation
pipeline; Completed design surveys and construction plans for concrete canal check structures; Design and Surveys
on approx. 8 miles of livestock water pipelines with drinking and storage facilities. Construction in progress.

Natural Resources Conservation Service (Soil Conservation Services), Southern Colorado; 1974-1999
Area Engineer/Project Engineer
Responsible for the design and construction of all engineering work in the area. Provided engineering supervision and
training to NRCS/SCS personnel in 17 counties. The area includes a wide range of climates. Irrigation methods
include flood irrigation on mountain meadows; approximately 400,000 acres of center pivot and sideroll sprinkler
irrigation of potatoes, alfalfa and small grain; trickle irrigation on cherry and apple orchards; and surge irrigation on row
crops. Utilized ground water by pumping and surface water delivered through a system of irrigation canals and
pipelines.

USDA Soil Conservation Service, Denver, Colorado; 1972-1974
Design Engineer
Duties involved the design of large concrete water control structures, the design of large flood control dams and
smaller dams filed with the Colorado State Engineer and design of large concrete ditch lining projects. Completed the
hydrologic analysis of the watershed runoff for each of the projects.

With over 15 years of experience with sales, marketing, management, administrative support and bookkeeping responsibilities, Beth manages the daily activities of all AgriTech Companies. Her strategic business development strategies have allowed her to successfully provide growth to all types of businesses from individuals to corporate entities.

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BETH KNUDSEN
Business Manager

EDUCATION:
University of Colorado, 2000 - Bachelor of Arts: Double Major
International Affairs: Diverse learning of the world through history, political science, linguistics, economics and
other related coursework
International Spanish for the Professions: Integrates the Spanish language into a business curriculum

Philip Morris USA 2002-2003
Unit Manager
° Increased retail sales volume 9%, to $43 million, through targeted resource utilization in order to meet customer
needs, stimulate further business growth, and develop partnerships
° Manage $2 million in wholesale revenue with 1% market share growth through inventory management, proper
resource utilization, and fostering partnerships between wholesale and their clients
° Participated in numerous business strategy task forces; analyzed business and developed new strategies to
stimulate business growth; created presentations to communicate to various level of personnel
° Train and develop staff of territory sales managers/interns to create and attain a vision for their business through
staff development meetings, individualized field training and development of training manuals
° Recruited 10 territory sales managers and 4 interns for Northern California through attendance of campus career
fairs and meetings with campus organizations; exceeded staff promotion objective

Territory Sales Manager 2000 to 2002
° Increased volume 15% to approximately $14 million in retail sales by broadening the scope of business among
existing clients and identifying new business opportunities
° Upgraded top level contract signings by 226% through targeted business development, which resulted in 5.3%
market share growth in first 12 months
° Power user during MAC to PC conversion: provided initial training to sales force and ongoing support
° Assisted in peer training of new territory sales managers, summer interns, and managed part-time merchandising
support staff. Developed training manual for part-time staff.

University of Colorado Housing Department January – June 2000
Staff Assistant for Recruitment & Training
° Developed/managed recruiting process for student & professional staff
° Organized and facilitated group training sessions for student & professional staff